Happy (or maybe not) New Year

Are you ready to respond to the disruptions that may be in store for 2018?

In December I read a commentary in my local newspaper, the Boston Globe, titled
"Remember When We Thought 2016 Was Bad?" Author Nestor Ramos' premise was that although
2016 seemed like it could not have been worse—Zika, the Ebola epidemic, terrorist attacks in
Europe, the Syrian refugee crisis, the U.S. presidential elections and the U.K.'s Brexit
vote upending long-accepted norms—2017 topped it in terms of disruption, destruction, and
violence. The shooting in Las Vegas, an unprecedented series of destructive hurricanes and
floods in the U.S. and Caribbean, earthquakes in Mexico and fires in California, North
Korea's missile launches, and widespread starvation in countries as diverse as Venezuela
and Yemen were just a few of the developments that rattled just about everyone's sense of security.

Have I thoroughly depressed you? Undoubtedly—but that's not my point. That long list of terrible
events serves to remind us that no country, company, or supply chain is immune from disaster and
disruption. We cannot know what the coming year will bring, but as supply chain professionals, we
can prepare our organizations to anticipate, detect, and respond to disruptions large and small.
It behooves us to learn from what we've already experienced, identifying what worked and what
didn't, and taking steps to improve where needed. This may involve applying technology, such
as control towers, predictive analytics, and risk management software; working closely with
your insurance company, consultants, and supply chain services providers; and devoting
sufficient resources to supply chain planning and risk management.

It can be tempting, though, to do nothing. As Sue Welch, CEO of the software company Bamboo Rose,
notes in her article "Planning for the unexpected: How 'what-if' costing reduces global risk," in the Q4/2017 issue of CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly, "even with all the variables in play that could impact a company, it's possible that none of them will happen. A chief executive who plans for the best-case scenario will be very successful if
everything plays out exactly as expected."

Yet as the events of 2016 and 2017 make clear, the chances of everything playing out
exactly as expected are small indeed. That's why it is crucial for supply chain leaders to
be ready for whatever 2018 may hold.

Editor's note: While we're talking about disaster response ... allow me to
suggest that you consider supporting the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). This fine
organization, formed by a number of supply chain and logistics associations following
Hurricane Katrina, matches offers of logistics services with humanitarian and relief
organizations' needs. Under the leadership of Executive Director Kathy Fulton, ALAN has
been instrumental in delivering critical supplies to victims of fires, floods, hurricanes,
and more. I hope you'll review the wealth of information on
ALAN's website, and that it will inspire you and your company to step up and help out.

Contributing Editor Toby Gooley is a freelance writer and editor specializing in supply chain, logistics, material handling, and international trade. She previously was Editor at CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly. and Senior Editor of SCQ's sister publication, DC VELOCITY. Prior to joining AGiLE Business Media in 2007, she spent 20 years at Logistics Management magazine as Managing Editor and Senior Editor covering international trade and transportation. Prior to that she was an export traffic manager for 10 years. She holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from Cornell University.

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